Quick Facts

Prostitutes face violence from men every day. The violence may be physical, sexual, or emotional in nature and can be perpetrated by clients, pimps, and even police officers. Because prostitution is illegal, much of it takes place underground, which makes it difficult to estimate the rate of violence these women face. Many sources have attempted to estimate the violence against these women, and some have found the rate of rape to be as high as 60 percent; most likely higher than this in street-level prostitution. Prostitutes have nowhere to turn to when they are violated because they are treated as criminals themselves. Authorities hurt, rather than help them. Prostitutes are also a target for murderers and serial killers because of the anonymity of sexual transactions and the lack of evidence linking a particular person to the crime.